In April 2012, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski declared that about 40 percent of robberies in New York City and other major cities involve cellphones and declared an initiative to educate users in the value of using passwords and security apps to help blunt the crime wave.

With Apple's iPhones among the most popular targets, the crime has been dubbed "Apple picking."

"If service is cut off on a stolen phone, it just becomes a useless brick and the motivation to threaten, or commit violence, to steal a phone goes away," Engel said in a statement. "By cutting off service, wireless companies will do wonders for public safety, and I am confident they will support this legislation."